UN campaigners sense victory is near over 'right to believe'

A stronger ‘right to believe’ – under attack at the UN since 1999 from the world Muslim body the Organization of Islamic Conference – may be on the cards this week.

The world’s premier human rights organization, the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva this week, is gearing up to agree on the issue without an alternative vote, either tomorrow (Thursday) or Friday, according to Foreign Office sources.

British diplomats and campaigners are hopeful that the wording of a new resolution which leaves out the infamous expression ‘defamation of religion’ – which protected ideas rather than individuals - may be adopted by consensus. 

This would mark a historic moment in an issue that has threatened to undermine human rights as a whole, and especially freedom of expression, for more than ten years.

Criticism of any behavior deemed to ‘hurt Muslim feelings’ has been used by rogue regimes like Sudan to close down exposure of human rights abuses carried out in the name of religion [see text box below].

Pakistan which drove the defamation process through various UN forums has an appalling record on extra-judicial killings for alleged blasphemy infringements, but has taken the lead in drafting the new improved resolution.

A spokesman at the UK Mission in Geneva told Lapido:  ‘The Organization of the Islamic conference have set aside their traditional resolution and worked on the basis of some resolutions provided by the US and EU and it looks like there will be a consensus around this.

‘We have been able to negotiate a text that is above our red lines.’

ARTICLE 19 and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) issued a press release today (Tuesday) in which they predicted ‘the demise of defamation of religion’.

They urged Member States of the UN Human Rights Council to support the draft resolution, which as now worded seeks to combat ‘intolerance, discrimination, violence and incitement to violence based on religious grounds’ but leaves out both defamation and vilification of religion, while remaining sensitive to religious sensibilities.

It is unclear whether a deal has been done to secure a way forward on DOR in light of current upheavals in the Muslim world.

The new wording removes the term defamation, removes calls for prohibition on expression, no longer defines offensive speech as human rights violation or singles out any specific religion.

However, criminalizing incitement (para. 5g) could still pose problems over behavior construed as proselytism, say activists.

Open Doors, whose worldwide ‘Right to Believe’ campaign at the end of the last year secured 428,000 signatures, marking a significant coalescing of Christian and secular rights groups, caught the attention of UK Foreign Secretary William Hague. 

OD Advocacy Director, Arie de Pater, based in Holland, said the campaign mobilized people all over the world, and he congratulated Pakistan on their leadership.

‘We are glad the resolution reaffirms the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) provisions on freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, including the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice. Further, it reaffirms the positive role of freedom of expression.

‘The resolution, however, still seems to treat religious individuals collectively.

‘It expresses concern about “actions that wilfully exploit tensions”. This could still open a back door to stifle any vocal presence of any religious minority. Think of proselytism and other outreach activities.

‘We re-emphasize that the individual is the right bearer for any human right.’